MICHELLE COLLIER AT A GLANCE
Full name: Michelle Collier
Birthdate: June 4
Hometown: Recife, Brazil
Twitter: @collmich
Instagram: @gtcoachcollier
Collier’s Coaching Timeline
2014- Head coach, Georgia Tech
2012-2013 – Head coach, Jacksonville University
2010-2011 – Assistant coach, South Carolina
2008-2009 – Assistant coach, USF
2007-2010 – Head coach, Tampa Bay Juniors Volleyball Club
1999-2002 – Head Coach Tampa Bay Juniors Volleyball Club
Collier’s Playing Timeline
1998-2002 – University of South Florida
2003-2006 – Professional volleyball in Spain, Netherlands, Cyprus, Indonesia and Puerto Rico
Collier’s Education Timeline
2002, B.A., Interdisciplinary social sciences, University of South Florida
Michelle Collier will enter her 10th year as head coach of the Georgia Tech volleyball team in 2023. She was named the eighth head volleyball coach at Georgia Tech in March 2014.
In year nine for Collier, she helped propel the Yellow Jackets to their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, advancing to the second round and earning a final AVCA ranking of No. 16. The Yellow Jackets reached that mark for the third consecutive season, joining the White and Gold of 2002-04 as the only squads to do so in succession in program history. In the process, Collier has become the second winningest coach overall in program history as well as the second winningest coach in ACC play in school history as she surpassed 200 career wins in 2022. Collier has put together seven consecutive winning seasons, maintaining above a .700 winning percentage in five of those including 2022. Tech’s skipper also owns five winning seasons in ACC play including 2022, holding a .750 or higher winning percentage in each. Under Collier’s guidance, the program finished the 2022 season with its 53rd straight ranking in the AVCA top 25 poll and its 22nd appearance in the top 15. Grooming seven Yellow Jackets for all-American honors and 13 program records, Collier helped Julia Bergmann finish top five in the nation in kills per set and points per set in 2022.
In her eighth season leading the Yellow Jackets, Collier took Georgia Tech to the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship, tying 2003’s squad for the best finish in program history. The White and Gold swept The Citadel, No. 17 WKU and No. 9 Ohio State on the way to the program’s second ever Elite Eight. The tournament appearance marked Collier’s second at Tech and the 11th for the program. Tech’s eight seed in the tournament also marked the second-highest all time as the Yellow Jackets went on to finish ranked No. 7 in RPI and No. 8 by the AVCA, tied for the highest ranking at season’s end in program history. Tech’s back-to-back tournament appearances marked the first since five straight from 2000-04. On the stat sheet, Tech finished with some of the top numbers in the country, pacing the nation in kills per set (15.18) and assists per set (13.90). Based on the 2021 NCAA record book, Tech’s kills per set mark is set to become an NCAA record as one of the top marks in the history of the sport. The Jackets were also sixth in the NCAA and second in the ACC in hitting percentage (0.291). Other notable numbers include ranking second in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA in kills (1,700), second in the conference and 14th in the country assists (1,557) and third in the league in digs per set (15.15). Collier also guided three Jackets on the way to all-American honors as outside hitters Julia Bergmann and Mariana Brambilla were each voted AVCA First Team All-Americans while setter Matti McKissock was named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention for the second most all-American honors in a season for the White and Gold all time. Brambilla and Bergmann are the first Yellow Jackets to be named First Team All-Americans since Kele Eveland in 2003, previously the only player in ACC history to garner the recognition. Collier was also named AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year for her efforts as the same three Jackets were named all-region, on top of Bergmann’s AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year honors. Under Collier’s tutelage, five Yellow Jackets were named All-ACC as Bergmann received the ACC Player of the Year award.
Through her seventh season at the helm and Tech’s first season post Covid-19 pandemic, Collier led the Jackets to a 14-5 overall record with a 13-4 record in ACC play, advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship for the first time since 2004. The berth in the Big Dance alone marked the 10th time in program history and the first for the Yellow Jackets since 2009 as Georgia Tech went on to win its first NCAA Tournament win in nearly 17 years. Tech was nationally ranked by the AVCA Coaches poll all season, reaching as high as No. 8 and coming in at No. 22 at the end of the season after spending multiple weeks atop the ACC. During the season, Collier guided the squad to an eight-match winning streak, including five straight sweeps. The Jackets swept 10 opponents out of 14 wins on the season with five more sweeps in the spring as their 10 ACC sweeps were the most conference sweeps in the league on the year. On the stat sheet, the Yellow Jackets finished 10th in the country and led the ACC in hitting percentage (0.285) while ranking second in the ACC in assists per set (12.81) and kills per set (13.78). With individuals, Collier also groomed a pair of all-Americans in Mariana Brambilla (AVCA Division I Third Team All-American, All-ACC First Team) and Julia Bergmann (AVCA Division I Honorable Mention All-America, All-ACC First Team). Going beyond last year’s NIVC title, Tech won 32 of its last 38 matches at the conclusion of the season. In the past two seasons, Georgia Tech is 23-2 at home in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Jackets have won 17 of their last 18 home matches and went 6-1 on The Flats in 2020-21.
Collier was named ACC Coach of the Year and AVCA Region Coach of the Year in 2019 for leading the Jackets to its first NIVC Championship and second-place finish in the ACC after a 11th-place projected finish in preseason. It marked the Jackets’ highest finish in conference play since 2004 when they went undefeated to claim the regular season title. The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with a 21-8 record, its first 20-win season since 2016 when the Jackets went 24-8. Collier is only the third Georgia Tech head coach to earn the honor.
In 2018, she brought the Jackets back to the postseason for the first time since 2009 with an NIVA berth in the 2018 season. She also led Tech to its first postseason victory since 2004 with its win over USF in the opening round of the 2018 NIVC. In 2017, she recorded her first win over a top-25 opponents with a 3-1 win over Michigan State. She recorded her 100th career win on Sept. 8, 2017 with a 3-2 win over Kansas State in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
In her second season at the helm of the Yellow Jackets’ program in 2016, Collier coached the Jackets to their best record since 2012 (18-14 overall and 9-11 in ACC play). During the season, the program eclipsed 700 wins overall and finished the year with a total of 641 at the Division I level with key road victories at Virginia Tech and Clemson, and a sweep of Duke at home.
The Jackets finished 2015 with 1,637 kills, which are the most since 2010. Tech started the season 9-2 for its best start since 2012, and went on an eight-match winning streak for the longest winning streak since 2006.
Collier coached Teegan Van Gunst to AVCA honorable mention all-America honors, AVCA all-region honors and an all-ACC first team selection.
In 2014, Collier led the Yellow Jackets to improvements of more than 100 kills than the 2013 team and posted a better hitting percentage (.216 to .182) overall for the year. In addition, the team finished better in almost every statistical category from the previous season.
Collier was named the 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year after leading Jacksonville to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
In just two years at Jacksonville, Collier helped develop the Dolphins into the A-Sun’s dominant program. In her final season at Jacksonville in 2013, the Dolphins posted a 30-4 overall record and earned the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004.
Collier coached both the sand volleyball and indoor volleyball programs at Jacksonville in 2012 and 2013. During her time at JU, the Dolphins improved their RPI by more than 50 combined points and enjoyed their highest ranking in nearly a decade. Her 2013 team swept the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships and her players dominated the league’s individual postseason awards.
Prior to her tenure at Jacksonville, Collier served two seasons (July, 2010-February, 2012) as an assistant coach at South Carolina, including a three-month stint as the Gamecocks’ temporary head coach. In 2011, Collier helped the Gamecocks to a seven-win improvement which ranked as the second-best jump in school history. The Gamecocks improved in nearly every category, including posting a hitting percentage 45 points better than the previous year in 2010.
Before working at South Carolina, Collier spent two seasons as an assistant at South Florida, where she was responsible for the outside hitters and headed up international recruiting. She helped the Bulls to finishes in the top half of the Big East Conference each year, while raising their RPI by 100 points.
As a student-athlete at USF, Collier ranks among the greatest collegiate volleyball players of all-time. She ranks fifth in NCAA Division I history with 2,729 career kills and ranks in the Bulls’ top-10 in numerous career and single-season categories. She holds the top spot in USF history in two career categories (kills and digs, 1,747) and set three single-season marks during the 2000 season. After coming back from an injury that sidelined her in 1999, Collier compiled 760 kills, 1,873 attacks and 6.28 kills per set.
A two-time Conference USA Player of the Year and a 2002 all-American, she claimed the league’s Player of the Decade award in 2004. She also earned the C-USA Freshman of the Year award in 1998 and led USF to three of the program’s seven NCAA Tournament appearances. USF went 120-48 during her three years, claiming two C-USA titles and one C-USA tournament crown during her four-year career. Collier is the only volleyball player in USF history to have her jersey retired. She joined the USF Hall of Fame in 2011, the first Bulls volleyball player to earn that honor.
Before coaching, Collier played professional volleyball for four years in a global tour that took her to Cyprus, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Spain and The Netherlands. Among the many accolades that she accumulated include the Indonesian League MVP and Cyprus’ Best Foreign Player.
Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Collier graduated from USF in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in web design and international relations.
Collier is married to Rafael Silva, who played volleyball for nine years in the top divisions of both Brazil and Spain. The couple has one daughter, Tais, and one son, Rafael.
